The Maple Leafs have spent the summer reshaping the roster, and the new look comes with two very different but connected questions. One is about a former prospect trying to claw his way back into the picture. The other is about the bigger picture in the Atlantic Division: has Toronto actually done enough to matter when the games get serious?
Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, better known as SDA, is still chasing an NHL opportunity and, apparently, still has Toronto on his mind. The former third-round pick spent two seasons with the Marlies before returning to Russia, where he has now played three seasons in the KHL.
He logged just one game with the Maple Leafs, but at 25 he seems to believe he’s a different player now than the one who left. His agent, Shumi Babaev, has said talks with the team are ongoing, and SDA has reportedly held off on reporting to his new KHL club while he waits to see whether an NHL opening appears.
There’s a real layer of intrigue there. SDA is no longer the same prospect Toronto once drafted and developed.
He’s older, he’s had time to figure out his game in pro hockey, and last season he produced 37 points in 59 KHL games. He’s also been used more on the wing than at centre.
What hasn’t changed is the skill set: he can make plays, he brings energy, and Auston Matthews liked what he saw from him during his earlier run around the organization.
The challenge is obvious. Toronto has added Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime, and that leaves very little room in the bottom six.
If SDA does come back, nothing will be handed to him. He’ll have to win a job, whether that means bringing some offense to the fourth line, starting with the Marlies, or simply waiting for the right opening.
But the fact that he’s willing to pass on a guaranteed KHL spot says something. He still believes he belongs in the NHL, and John Chayka now has to decide whether he’s worth another look.
That’s the smaller storyline. The bigger one is whether the Maple Leafs are actually good enough to match the teams they’re trying to catch.
There’s no hard case against the idea that Toronto is better than it was a year ago. The roster has more size, more depth, and a clearer edge for playoff-style hockey.
The coaching setup also looks geared toward finding the best path forward. On paper, the direction makes sense.
But Toronto isn’t measuring itself against last year’s version of itself. It’s measuring itself against the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers, and the rest of a crowded Atlantic Division. Those teams aren’t sitting still.
So depth alone won’t solve this. The Maple Leafs need their top players to lift as well.
Auston Matthews has to look like the old Auston Matthews. William Nylander has to be a real difference-maker when games tighten.
The new additions have to show they can hold up when the competition gets bigger, faster and harder to play against. Improving the third and fourth lines is useful.
It just can’t be the whole plan.
That’s why the real test won’t come in July or August. It’ll come once the season starts and the opposition gets serious.
Toronto may be better. The question is whether better is enough to beat the teams in front of it.
That’s the part nobody knows yet.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Have Just Avoided A Brutal Blue Line Debate
The Maple Leafs may have sidestepped a conversation that could have gotten uncomfortable in a hurry on the blue line. Toronto has spent plenty of time trying to balance its defense, and the idea of moving Morgan Rielly would have sent a ripple through a group that still leans heavily on him in important situations.
What made the possibility worth watching was Anaheims cap picture, which changed after the Leo Carlsson offer sheet and briefly opened the door to a scenario Toronto fans probably would have had a hard time digesting. A deal never materialized, but the mere fact it could have been on the table shows how quickly one move elsewhere in the league can tug at the edges of a roster debate in Toronto. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Just Added A Wave Of Prospects Worth Watching
The Maple Leafs spent the 2023 cycle adding a fresh layer of young depth to an organization that has been trying to keep its pipeline moving while the big club stays in win-now mode. Fifteen new players under 25 entered the system through the draft and other acquisitions, including one brought in via trade and several signed as free agents, giving the team a mix of established prospects, players with NHL or AHL seasoning, and others still set to develop in college or junior hockey.
It is the kind of group that can be easy to overlook in the short term but matters a lot when a front office is trying to keep options open. Some of these newcomers are already pushing toward pro roles, while others are still a long way from Toronto, but together they give the Leafs a broader range of possible contributors as the organization keeps sorting out who can help next and who might become more than just a name on a prospect list. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Saw This Roster Problem Coming Long Before This Summer
Two years ago, the Maple Leafs were already kicking tires on help for the same sort of roster gaps that have lingered into this summer. According to Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette, Toronto had interest in Canadiens players Arber Xhekaj and Sean Monahan, a sign the club recognized it needed a different blend of size, edge and stability long before the current front office reshaped the roster.
Monahan eventually landed with the Columbus Blue Jackets after being traded in February 2024, while Toronto went in another direction and added other pieces to cover similar needs after a management change. The bigger takeaway is how early the Leafs identified the problem, even if the solutions they ultimately chose came from elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]